Before we touch config files or run our first command, I want you to know who you’re learning from — and why you can trust what you’re about to build.

Who I Am

I’m Michael Patrick McCoy. I’ve spent years working with databases in real production environments — keeping systems stable, fast, and recoverable when things go wrong.

My background includes hands-on work with:

• Administration and day-to-day operations (users, security, maintenance, troubleshooting)
• Performance tuning and query analysis
• Backups, restores, and recovery planning
• Automation and repeatable processes (so you’re not relying on tribal knowledge)

I built this course because most people are thrown into PostgreSQL with zero guidance — and the “docs-only” approach is a terrible way to learn when you’re under pressure.

What This Course Is For

• Developers who suddenly “own the database” in a small team
• Junior DBAs who want a solid PostgreSQL foundation
• Engineers running their first real PostgreSQL instance

What This Course Is (And Isn’t)

PostgreSQL is not magic — it’s a database engine with predictable behavior once you understand the basics. This course focuses on the skills that matter day-to-day: installing, securing, operating, backing up, and troubleshooting PostgreSQL.

• This course is: practical, beginner-friendly, and focused on real-world operations
• This course isn’t: a deep dive into internals, theory-heavy academia, or “clever tricks”

Admin vs Developer Responsibilities

One of the biggest sources of confusion is where “admin work” ends and “developer work” begins. We’ll separate those clearly so you know what you’re responsible for — and what you should push back on.

• Admin work: users/roles, security, backups, monitoring, upgrades, maintenance
• Developer work: schema design, query logic, indexes, application behavior

What You’ll Be Able To Do By The End

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Install PostgreSQL locally or on a server
• Connect safely using psql and understand what a session really is
• Secure access with roles, passwords, and pg_hba.conf
• Back up and restore confidently using pg_dump and pg_restore
• Identify common issues (locks, long queries, disk growth) and know where to look first

Most importantly: you’ll stop fearing PostgreSQL. You’ll understand what it’s doing, why it behaves the way it does, and how to respond when things go sideways. Let’s get started!